On the 23 of October 2012 a peaceful demonstration was held for four hours in Manokwari, (without police permission) in front of the UNIPA campus. Several hundred people took part. The demonstrators were calling for a referendum on West Papuan independence and were carrying the Morning Star Flag. They reject the fake “dialogue” of the murderous Indonesian state. Following the demonstration the participants walked to the Darul Anum Mosque where speeches were made. The security forces fired shots in order to try to force the demonstrators to stop when they began to throw stones at their frontlines. At least 4 were hit by gunshots amongst the 18 or more injured demonstrators and two police officers were hit by stones and hospitalised. The demonstration was tightly surrounded (in a “kettle”) by police security forces, supported by detachment C of Brimob [The "elite" police force-death squad intended to deal with so-called "terrorists"].
A number of times, the demonstrators called on the police to lift the aggressive blockade on the demonstrators but the police refused to do so. The speeches continued while the police blockade remained in place. Missiles were thrown on both sides. Eleven activists who were arrested were eventually released after being given warnings.
According to the KNPB (National Committee for West Papua), the demonstration was held to support a meeting of International Parliamentarians for West Papua in London. The Indonesian embassy in London issued a rebuke claiming there was no significant meeting in the British Parliament. Indonesia has repeatedly used weapons purchased from the UK and other countries for internal repression, in April this year Prime Minister David Cameron personally lead a mission to boost arms sales in Indonesia, among other Asian countries.
On 31 of October 2012, the State Visit of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (known as SBY) to the UK happened. Non-Governmental Organisations such as Survival International, Tapol and Amnesty Internationalused the visit to protest against human rights violations in West Papua and to challenge the UK Government on its training of specialist anti-terror police who have been implicated in the killing of Papuan leaders.
The British arms companies and political leaders who are responsible for this ongoing terror should be exposed to the consequences of their actions. Freedom for all!
More info: http://tapol.org/